In 1869, the Connecticut General Assembly passed an act
giving the town of Norwich and the county of New London
power to combine to erect a building for town, city and
county purposes. This building would include a courthouse
and would be financed by the town of Norwich and New London
County. After almost three years of construction, a portion
of the building was opened in 1873 when the first session of
the Superior Court was held on November 11th.

The building stood at the junction of Broadway and Union
Streets, facing Otis Square. Architects for the three-story
French-style building were Burdich & Arnold. The basement
story, which housed the police department, police court and
jail for many years, was constructed of granite while the
other stories were built of pressed brick with granite
trimmings.

Copyright
1930

Published 1909,
official souvenir postcard of the 250th Founding of the Town

The tower
rose 29 feet from the roof while the main cornice was 58
feet from the ground. The tower and cornices were made of
galvanized iron while the roof was covered with tin.

The tower
contained a clock with illuminated dials, which were lit up
at night and a 3,000-pound bell, which would chime at the
appointed hour and also double as an alarm bell.

The Superior
Court was on the second floor along with town hall offices,
the library and sheriff's office. The Courtroom was in the
front of the building and was 45 x 50 feet with ample
adjoining anterooms. The interior of most rooms in the
building was of yellow pine, chestnut and black walnut.

Because many
public buildings and churches had been ravaged by fire in
the past, this building was supplied with water closets on
each floor and fireproof vaults.

At the time,
a local newspaper wrote that the Norwich City Hall and
Courthouse "would compare favorably with any public building
in the country."

To celebrate
its 250th Anniversary, the town of Norwich
welcomed President William Howard Taft, who arrived by train
from Beverly, Massachusetts on July 5th, 1909 and spoke on
the Courthouse steps.

The total
cost for the building was approximately $350,000.

Click on any picture
to see a larger version.City of Norwich,
Published 1910